Method and apparatus for packaging products with different markings

ABSTRACT

A method of and apparatus for producing a mixed batch of consumer products without the use of a mechanical mixer to carry out the mixing. An image sequencing means is provided which sequences images to be printed by a digitally-controlled printhead. Varying images are placed on consumer products or parts thereof—e.g. cigarette cards—as those products or parts of products pass under the printhead at a point in the production line. The consumer products, once assembled, are packaged directly from the production line to form mixed batches of product—without an additional mixing step.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for producing batches ofcontainers or products wherein each batch consists of containers orproducts carrying a variety of differing printed images. In particular,the present invention relates to the printing of a wide variety ofcolour images onto the packaging of goods, such as consumer goods, oralternatively direct onto the goods themselves and producing batches ofsuch goods such that the goods are mixed in mixed batches.

BACKGROUND ART

Children—and many adults—enjoy collecting. A way in which to make thiseasy is to incorporate “collectables” as images on products or theirpackaging. Examples are cigarette cards and the picture cards in sometea packs. It would be advantageous to print such images on the externalpackaging of the product or even on the products themselves, but thishas not been widely done because it is difficult to print short runs andthen mix them up so that the purchaser has a choice at the point ofsale.

Prior art systems exist for mixing containers or products into batchessuch that each batch consists of containers or products carrying avariety of differing printed images. Such prior art systems are largeand complex and the mixing operation necessarily occurs after thecontainers or products are ready for sale.

One way of avoiding the need to mix whole containers or products is tomix pre-printed images on, for instance, cards, which are inserted intoa product package such as a tea or cigarrette pack. Such mixing isrelatively easy and quick to do (as compared to mixing whole containersor products). Such cards can, for instance, be mixed manually as theyare loaded into a stack on the insertion machinery. See, for example,EP-A-0537149.

Another example of this manner of getting around the problems of theprior art is the use of labels which may be applied at the end of aproduction and packaging process. Again, it is relatively simple to mixa selection of labels and then apply them or even to print the labelsjust prior to the time of application. Examples of such systems aregiven in EP-A-0732267, EP-A-0677013.

Prior art systems also exist for printing low-quality,information-bearing labels (such as bar codes) onto products or theircontainers on the packaging line. See, for example, EP-A-0618141,EP-A-0088630.

Also known are relatively slow printing systems which produce printedimages on demand—such as office computer printers or even a method ofproducing playing cards in a random sequence at a casino playing table(see U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,710). Such systems are not used to producepackaging for consumer goods since their speed of operation is too slowfor industrial requirements.

Known techniques of high-quality, colour printing on products or productpackaging require a lengthy set-up process to change an image which isbeing printed. The cheaper methods of printing (e.g. flexographic,gravure and offset litho) also require a substrate to be in sheet or webform so that it can be pressed onto rollers which carry the ink.

These restrictions of known techniques mean that it is difficult orexpensive to print short runs, i.e. small quantities, of any givenimage, because the set-up time can exceed the printing time. Therestrictions also mean that it is even more expensive to print onto theproducts themselves, unless those products happen to be in sheet or webform (e.g. when the products themselves consist of letters or the like).

Thus in prior art packaging systems, printed material (for instancepackaging film) is printed with many copies of a single image beforeswitching to another image. The same system also applies when images areprinted directly onto a product. Thus, when products are manufacturedand packaged using prior art systems, it is not practical to change thepackaging material frequently.

With prior art systems, it is therefore not economically viable to mix alarge number of images on, for instance, a point-of-sale box containingsweets. To do this, the manufacturer would have to carry large stocks ofthe product each with one type of image, and then mix them into eachpoint-of-sale box. Such an operation would be expensive and would occupya large space if more than a few different images were to be used.

Thus, using prior art packaging systems, products cannot be economicallyproduced having a variety of images within a single batch.

The object of the present invention is to provide an industrialpackaging system which allows a batch of products to be produced in aneconomically viable way such that each batch contains products whichhave different images printed on them.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method ofproducing a packaged or unpackaged product in such a way that eachproduct coming off of a production line may have a different imageprinted onto it (or its packaging).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a production, mixing and packaging methodwhich produces a plurality of mixed groups of consumer products, whereineach of said mixed groups of consumer products comprises at least twoconsumer products which differ from each other in that at least a partor component of one of the at least two consumer products has an imageprinted onto it which is different from an image printed onto at least apart or component of another of the at least two consumer products,which said production, mixing and packaging method comprises the stepsof (a) providing at least one digitally-controlled printhead at a pointin a production line such that said printhead is able to print onto atleast a part or component of a consumer product as it passes the or eachprinthead; (b) providing an image storing means which contains datarelating to a plurality of different images; (c) providing an imagesequencing means which sets a sequence in which said stored images areto be printed thereby determining the mix of consumer products in eachmixed group of consumer products; (d) digitally controlling theprinthead to print said images onto at least parts or components of aconsumer products as it passes the or each printhead based on the datain the image storing means as sequenced by the image sequencing means;(e) if required, assembling a consumer product from their constituentparts or components—including the printed part(s) and/or component(s);(f) packaging a plurality of (assembled) consumer products into a singleunit in order to produce one of the plurality of mixed groups ofconsumer products; and (g) repeating steps (d), (e) and (f), whereby,the plurality of mixed groups of consumer products are produced, mixedand packaged without there being a step of mechanically mixing productsor parts or components thereof.

The present invention elegantly overcomes the problems of prior artproduction systems.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the ensuing description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: System overview of the current invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by using adigital printer which is capable of printing a different image on eachproduct or package at industrial packaging speeds. Although suchprinters do exist (for instance, using the printhead produced by XaarJetof Cambridge, UK), they have not, in the prior art, been used forproducing products which have different images on them or theirpackaging within the same production run. This is probably due to atechnical prejudice within the field—based on the erroneous belief thatsuch a system would not be operable.

If there are, for instance, 1000 images in the series, then such aprinter can be programmed to print image 1, then 2, 3, 4 . . . 999,1000, and then back to image 1. Alternatively it can be programmed torandomise the print order, or to apply some other rule (making someimages more common than others). Because the images are mixed this wayin production, they will remain well mixed through the secondarypackaging and distribution system even if buffers are used. Thepoint-of-sale containers will always contain a mix of images.

The present invention has the following additional advantages:

it can be used to provide rare “prizewinning” images

switching from one series of images to another is as easy as switchingfrom one image to another, so it is easy to keep up with current trends(e.g. fashionable pop stars, characters in current films).

different products can each have their own range of images, for instancedifferent types of pasta in the same pack can each have a distinct rangeof recipes from which the shopper can choose.

The present invention is unique because it allows the images to beprinted using high quality full colour, in an order which iscontrollable by the manufacturers (e.g. serial, specified frequency orrandomised). This is achieved by the use of inkjet printing technologywith a control system that is able to 'store and select the images inreal time for printing according to specified rules. Images whichconsist only of text may also be used (e.g. ‘tip of the day’ on acooking ingredient package).

FIG. 1 shows a system overview for a packaging system according to theinvention. Packaged or unpackaged products (6) travel past a printer(4). A detector (5) may be used to ensure an image is registeredcorrectly onto the product. Digital print image data (3) is passed tothe printer (4) from the image sequencing unit (1). This unit (1) takesimages from the Image Store (2)) and sends them to the printer (4) inthe required sequence.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the sequencer (1) may specifyimages to be printed which are then sent directly from the Image Store(2) to the printer (4) (in either case through a buffer).

Sequencing may be decided at run time following some rules ondistribution (e.g. 1% of image A, 10% of image B, 89% of image C, imageA always separated from another A by at least 10 items, etc.) or it maybe taken from a pre-prepared file describing the sequence.

The image may itself be made up of sub-images each of which isconfigurable, and the position of the images on the product may also bevariable from one item to another.

What is claimed is:
 1. A production, mixing and packaging method thatproduces a plurality of mixed groups of consumer products, wherein eachof the mixed groups of consumer products comprises at least two consumerproducts that differ from each other in that at least a part orcomponent of one of the at least two consumer products has an imageprinted on it that is different from an image printed on at least a partor component of another of the at least two consumer products, themethod comprising: a. providing at least one digitally-controlledprinthead at a point in a production line such that the printhead isable to print on at least a part or a component of a consumer product asit passes the at least one printhead; b. providing an image storagedevice that contains data relating to a plurality of different images;c. providing an image sequencer that sets a sequence in which the storedimages are to be printed, thereby determining the mix of consumerproducts in each mixed group of consumer products; d. digitallycontrolling the printhead to print the images on at least a part or acomponent of a consumer product as it passes the at least one printheadbased on the data in the image storage device as sequenced by the imagesequencer; and e. packaging a plurality of consumer products into asingle unit in order to produce one of the plurality of mixed groups ofconsumer products; whereby, the plurality of mixed groups of consumerproducts are produced, mixed and packaged without there being a step ofmechanically mixing products or parts or components thereof.
 2. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein at least some of the consumer productsinclude constituent parts or components and further comprising the stepof, prior to step e, assembling the at least some of the consumerproducts from their constituent parts or components.
 3. A production,mixing and packaging method according to claim 2 wherein providing atleast one digitally-controlled printhead at a point in a production lineincludes locating the printhead at a point in the production lineseparate from an assembly section of the production line, and furthercomprising printing the images on a web that is subsequently transferredto the assembly section of the production line for assembly into anassembled consumer product.
 4. A production, mixing and packaging methodaccording to claim 1 wherein providing at least one digitally-controlledprinthead at a point in a production line includes providing adrop-on-demand ink-jet printhead.
 5. A production, mixing, and packagingmethod according to claim 1 wherein providing an image storage deviceincludes providing decorative images that may be used for promotionalpurposes.
 6. A method according to claim 1 wherein providing an imagestorage device includes providing images that include text.
 7. A methodaccording to claim 1 including the step of printing the images in anordered sequence.
 8. A method according to claim 1 including the step ofprinting the images in a random order.
 9. A method according to claim 1including the step of printing the images in a sequence whereby acertain image is printed with greater frequency than another.
 10. Amethod of producing a group of consumer products, the group of consumerproducts comprising at least two consumer products that differ from eachother in that at least a part or a component of one of the at least twoconsumer products has an image printed on it that is different from animage printed on at least a part or a component of another of the atleast two consumer products, the method comprising: a. setting asequence of stored images to be printed, thereby determining the mix ofconsumer products in the group of consumer products; b. printing imagesof the sequence of stored images, using a digitally-controlledprinthead, on at least a part or a component of the at least twoconsumer products; whereby, the group of consumer products is producedwithout there being a step of mechanically mixing products or parts orcomponents thereof.
 11. An apparatus for the production of a pluralityof mixed groups of consumer products, wherein each of the mixed groupsof consumer products comprises at least two consumer products thatdiffer from each other in that at least a part or a component of one ofthe at least two consumer products has an image printed on it that isdifferent from an image printed on at least a part or a component ofanother of the at least two consumer products, the apparatus comprising:a. at least one digitally-controlled printhead arranged at a point in aproduction line such that the at least one printhead may print on atleast a part or a component of a consumer product as it passes the atleast one printhead; b. an image storing device for containing datarelating to a plurality of different images; c. an image-sequenceradapted to set a sequence in which the stored images are to be printed;d. a control device for digitally controlling the printhead to print theimages on at least a part or a component of a consumer product as itpasses the at least one printhead based on the data in the image storingdevice as sequenced by the image sequencer; and e. a packaging devicefor packaging a plurality of consumer products into a single unit inorder to produce one of the plurality of mixed groups of consumerproducts; whereby, the apparatus is adapted such that the plurality ofmixed groups of consumer products are produced, mixed and packagedwithout there being a step of mechanically mixing products or parts orcomponents thereof.
 12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein atleast some of the consumer products include constituent parts orcomponents and further comprising an assembly device for assembling atleast one of the consumer products from its constituent parts orcomponents.
 13. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the imagesequencer is programmed to print the images in an ordered sequence. 14.An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image sequencer isprogrammed to print the images in a random sequence.
 15. An apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the image sequencer is programmed toprint the images in a sequence whereby a certain image is printed with agreater frequency than another.
 16. An apparatus for producing a groupof consumer products, the group of consumer products comprising at leasttwo consumer products that differ from each other in that at least apart or a component of one of the at least two consumer products has animage printed on it that is different from an image printed on at leasta part or a component of another of the at least two consumer products,the apparatus comprising: a. a processor for setting a sequence ofstored images to be printed thereby determining the mix of consumerproducts in the group of consumer products; b. a digitally-controlledprinthead; c. a control device for effecting the printing of images ofthe sequence of stored images using the printhead, on at least a part ora component of the at least two consumer products; whereby, the group ofconsumer products is produced without there being a step of mechanicallymixing products or parts or components thereof.
 17. A delivery methodfor delivering mixed groups of consumer products to a consumer-salesoutlet, the method comprising: a. providing at least onedigitally-controlled printhead at a point in a production line such thatthe printhead is able to print on at least a part or a component of aconsumer product as it passes the at least one printhead; b. providingan image storage device that contains data relating to a plurality ofdifferent images; c. providing an image sequencer that sets a sequencein which the stored images are to be printed, thereby determining themix of consumer products in each mixed group of consumer products; d.digitally controlling the printhead to print the images on at least apart or a component of a consumer product as it passes the at least oneprinthead based on the data in the image storage device as sequenced bythe image sequencer; e. packaging a plurality of consumer products intoa single unit in order to produce one of the plurality of mixed groupsof consumer products; and f. transporting at least one mixed group ofconsumer products, via a distribution chain, to a consumer sales outlet.whereby, the plurality of mixed groups of consumer products areproduced, mixed, packaged, and delivered without there being a step ofmechanically mixing products or parts or components thereof.
 18. Amethod of printing batches of products wherein each of the batchesincludes at least two products that differ from each other in that atleast a part or a component of one of the at least two products has animage printed on it that is different than at least a part or acomponent of another of the at least two products, the method ofprinting comprising: a. positioning at least one printer at a point in aproduction line such that the printer is able to print on at least apart or a component of a product as it passes the at least one printer;b. providing a plurality of different images; c. sequencing the imagesin a sequence in which the images are to be printed on the productsthereby determining the mix of products in each batch; and d.controlling the at least one printer to print the images on at least apart or a component of the product as it passes the at least one printerin the sequence whereby each batch of products is produced without therebeing a step of mechanically mixing the products or parts or componentsthereof.
 19. The method of printing of claim 18 wherein sequencing theimages in a sequence includes generating a random sequence.
 20. Themethod of printing of claim 18 wherein sequencing the images in asequence includes generating a serial sequence.
 21. The method ofprinting of claim 18 wherein sequencing the images in a sequenceincludes providing a specified frequency for each image.
 22. The methodof printing of claim 18 wherein positioning at least one printerincludes positioning a drop-on-demand inkjet printer.
 23. The method ofprinting of claim 18 wherein providing a plurality of different imagesincludes providing an image that includes text.
 24. The method ofprinting of claim 18 wherein providing a plurality of different imagesincludes providing an image that includes a graphic.
 25. The method ofprinting of claim 18 wherein providing a plurality of different imagesincludes providing an image that includes both text and a graphic.